“Nah,” I said. “I learned from the best, didn’t I? And I’m making my own decision now. I got my own luck, don’t I? It’ll come through for me in the right time, that I do reckon, so long as it’s free to.”

Pop’s eyes got wide then and I think he understood I had something cooking, I think he understood that I was hustling and scheming with every bit of craft I had. I caught the slightest gleam of his gold tooth, and yeah, Pop knew what I was up to.

“Just go easy on him, Bobby Felix,” said Pop. “He’s just a boy.”

“Oh you know me,” said Boss Authority. “I’m nothing if not a man of mercy.”

Mr. Hugo and Cecily Bob and Drusilla Fey got to laughing at that. I for one didn’t see the humor in it.

“Fine,” I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “I win, you let me and all my friends go. You abandon your magics and skedaddle.”

“That’s an awful lot for me to wager,” said Boss Authority.

“What’s the point of playing,” I said, “if you can’t win big?”

Boss Authority got a chuckle out of that. “I like the way you think, boy. You remind me a little of myself at your age, if you can imagine that.”

“I would prefer not to,” I said.

“Got a mouth on you too,” said Boss, rubbing his chin with his metal finger. “Well, fine. If I win, I get your daddy’s blood—which is already mine by right, mind you—and I get your blood, and what else? How about a bottle of poison from the fangs of that one over there? Actually, I want the fangs themselves. I want her face for my collection.”

“I don’t think that’s mine to wager,” I said.

“It’s done,” said Tally. “You can have it, Boss.”

“And you can have Marina’s Place,” said Marina.

“Marina, honey, it appears your house is already mine,” said Boss.

“No it ain’t,” said Marina. “This place doesn’t obey anybody but me. The second I walk out of here the whole thing will shutter itself and sink right into the swamp, whether you want it to or not. Same as what happened to Baudelaire Quatro’s. By the way, what did you do with his head?”

“I kept it,” Boss said, “same as I’m going to keep yours. I’m gonna pickle it, Marina. I’m going to keep it right there on my mantel. It’ll be one heck of a conversation piece.”

“We’ll see about that,” said Marina, wiping a trickle of blood from her chin.

I wasn’t sure how much I liked this now. I was feeling like maybe they were putting a bit too much faith in me. I was fine playing for myself and my blood, but I didn’t feel too good about playing for anybody else.

Have faith in us, said Marina into my brain. We’re hustlers, ain’t we? Just keep him occupied as best as you can.